I am looking for some advice on a used Cable-Nelson piano. My daughter (5) wants a piano and to start lessons for Christmas. I know NOTHING about pianos. Someone local is selling a Cable-Nelson piano in "excellent" condition. I wanted to know what the brands reputation is like and if it is worth considering for a beginner. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

We own a 1948 Cable Nelson and it is still doing a good job for us. Our tuner was here last week and said it tuned easily and was holding tune well and still had many years of life left. It will soon be our daughter's piano.

A few years ago, Yamaha started making the Cable Nelson as one of their more price friendly level pianos. Their rating is mid-range for pianos in the piano buyer's guide here: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/e8ffb87c#/e8ffb87c/44

Good Luck!

Hello,

I started on an old Cable Nelson piano that was given to my dad as a gift when he got out of the army. His parents scraped and saved for it. It was OLD by the time my dad passed it on to me, and had been through the wringe. But what I will say is that it served me well, got me through 11 years of serious piano lessons including two years of a music major in college. When I finally got my first grand, we gave the Cable Nelson to another little girl who was thrilled to get it. It probably wasn't the greatest for my technical development, but it was what we had and I felt lucky to have had it. I would say that for a five-year-old who wants a piano and piano lessons for Christmas, it would be a lovely, lovely gift. If she ends up pursuing music after a few years, you may consider upgrading.

Hi,
My mother owned a Cable-Nelson spinet. She bought it used from a friend and it was built in the 1940's as I recall. When my mom passed away, I donated it to a local church. My technician appraised it at $800, back in 1996.
I heard recently that the church sold this piano for $500 to a church member. I phoned her and she said she had it tuned recently and her family is enjoying it.
I am a teacher and a classically trained pianist. I played this piano frequently and while it's certainly not a Steinway by any means, it does have a good tone and has held up well over the years.
As with any older instrument, it's condition, condition, condition. Is the piano serviceable? Have you had it appraised?

Thanks for all of your help and guidance! The link to the piano grades by brand was very helpful!
I haven't had it appraised. It looks like it is in great condition. I am going to see it this weekend, and hopefully will have a lot of questions answered.

Thanks again!

With any used piano, its serviceability depends on its condition. There are very few people who even know how good their piano's condition is, so if the seller says that the condition is excellent, it may not mean much.

In addition, size matters, so that a larger piano may be better than a smaller piano of a make that has a better reputation. Not only that, larger uprights generally wear better than smaller ones.

If this piano has a spinet action, that is, where the keys are cut short and the action is behind them, rather than on top of them, I suggest you pass. There are plenty of good, inexpensive pianos out there, and it is better to get one of them than a poor one.

Thanks for the advice. I don't want to get something that isn't usable.

There is also a Sohmer Primrose piano that is available in the area:

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/1472301590.html

I know photos don't tell much, but do you have any suggestions? Is one better than the other -- given that both are probably in need of tuning?

Thank you so much for your assistance! I really appreciate it.

OP: Are you specifically looking for a spinet piano? Are both pianos you describe spinets?